External recruitment is used especially for lower entry jobs in
periods of expansion and for positions whose particular requirements
cannot be met by the current employees within the organisations. There
are couple of means through which an organisations can recruit
externally, such means include advertisements in electronic (including
internet) and print media, private and public employment agencies,
work-ins by job hunters, employee referrals, academic institutions,
professional associations, unions and informal networks (Jones et al,
2007). The advantages of external recruitment consist of having access
to a probably large pool, being capable of attracting people to the firm
who have talents, knowledge and abilities the organisations needs to
achieve its goals and being able to bring in newcomers who may be
current on the latest technology. The disadvantages of external
recruitment include high costs of recruitment and training, inadequate
knowledge about inner workings of the organisations and uncertainty
about the performance of the potential employees. However, the degree of
complexity of recruitment is minimized by formulation of sound human
resources after careful analysis of the strength and weaknesses of the
environment (Briggs, 2007).
Over time, the internet has had a huge influence on recruitment,
selection and job search (Green, De Hoyos, Li & Owen, 2011). With
the introduction of the internet, the volume of job adverts in the print
media has declined substantially. However, the internet may be used in
tandem with other methods of recruitment. A newspaper advert or an
advert in a shop window may direct a job seeker to a website for details
of how to apply for a vacancy. Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs) has emerged increasingly important for individuals
in accessing jobs and made some traditional recruitment methods remain
essential. In a slack labour market, some employers may be increasingly
likely to use informal methods of recruitment, rather than to bear the
costs of formal recruitment methods (Atfield, Green, Purecell,
Staniewicz & Owen, 2011). The rise of internet, through job mobility
portal, has created avenues for bringing together vacancies across
public employment services in different countries and of submission of
job applications electronically. This means that job seekers can search
for vacancies more quickly and over a wider geographical area than was
formerly the case (Green, et al, 2011). While the internet remains a
powerful tool for job seekers, Tunstall, Lupton, Green, Whatmough and
Bates (2012) expressed that there is a danger that relative case of
electronic application may lead to job seekers either adopting an
inefficient scattergun approach of relatively large numbers of
untargeted applications as opposed to a more efficient targeted
approach, or becoming too reliant on the internet and neglecting other
job-searching methods. This might include “hiding behind the internetâ€
rather than adopting a more proactive strategy involving making contact
with employers.
The major producers of employment and labour
statistics are Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, National
Bureau of Statistics and National Manpower Board. According to these
agencies, sources of compiling employment and labour statistics can be
grouped into three. These are:
(a) population census
(b) household-based surveys, establishment censuses and surveys and
(c) administrative sources
Population
Census: A population census is conducted at regular intervals of ten
years in most countries. The National Population Commission (NPC) is
responsible for conducting population censuses in Nigeria. Population
data such as ages, locations and gender-specific aggregations of
individuals are usually made available to users by the NPC. Aggregation
and cross-tabulation by employment categories and other attributes are
also made available on request from the NPC whose data-processing
activities are computerised. It should be noted that population census
data are also relevant in the production of employment statistics. This
is because they serve as a basis for validating and projecting
survey-based estimates and also as denominator variables for computing
important employment indicators.
